


what a lovely way to burn

by bloodstainedskin



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Female Friendship, Femslash, Past Abuse, Physical Abuse, Prostitution, Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-23 20:20:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1578254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodstainedskin/pseuds/bloodstainedskin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laundromats aren't really the place to meet your soulmate, but Daenerys finds herself falling for the girl with the '65 Corvair that matches her eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. river running free, you know how i feel

Sunday has been known to be laundry day for the past year, when the three girls pack up all their dirty clothes into hampers and bags and stuff them into the back of the station wagon, squeeze into the car and go to the local laundromat. This spring Sunday is no different, and Irri is (again) the last one to stuff her hamper in the back seat and squish herself in next to it. She is the smallest, after all, so on Sundays, the back seat is her’s.

“Ya’ ready?” Jhiqui turns her head to the back seat from the passenger’s, raising an eyebrow at Irri, who is quickly sending a text (to her boyfriend, Jhiqui assumes; it’s always her boyfriend).

“Let’s roll,” says Irri as soon as the text is sent. With that, the blonde in the front seat starts up the car and soon they are speeding down the highway. 

Daenerys is always the one to drive; her car is the biggest and the only one that can fit the bags upon bags of dirty clothes. Plus, Jhiqui is a terrible driver- no one trusts her to get them to the laundromat and back safely (though, they don’t trust her to get them _anywhere_ and back). Irri, on the other hand, drives a Prius that, for some reason, her boyfriend put a killer stereo system in, and the subwoofer takes up so much space that they can barely fit anything in the trunk, especially their infinite wardrobes.

The three idly sing along to the radio as Dany drives. Jhiqui, the beauty with chestnut colored curls so wild, turns up the volume when “her jam” comes on the radio. Irri and Dany both let out a laugh when Jhiqui belts out the Beyonce song, and soon join her to form a terrible harmony, incredibly out of tune but the radio is so loud that they can’t hear themselves. 

By the end of “Partition”, they arrive at their destination and Daenerys parks in their usual spot, a parallel parking space by the entry of the laundromat. There is usually only a few regulars there on an early Sunday morning, all of whom the girls know. There is Valerie and Cal, the couple in their mid-thirties who use Sunday morning laundry as an escape from their twin boys; Bernie, the man in his sixties who lives up the street above his bakery; Lastly, there is Wendy, a woman in her fifties who the girls always see as who they want to be when they grow older (and who Bernie always hits on) for she is wrinkle-free and a master of yoga, gluten-free and organically beautiful, a suburban woman’s goddess. 

Dany knows all of their cars- Wendy parks in the spot in front of Dany, Bernie parks around the back (he doesn’t want anyone stealing from his car, though no one even comes to this side of town), and Valerie and Cal park behind Dany. Today, everyone is in their usual parking spaces, but there is another car, one she’s never seen here. It’s a 1965 Chevy Corvair, a beautiful teal color that looks almost brand new despite its age. The other girl’s notice the car, too, and “ooh” and “ahh” at it.  
“Dany, what kinda car is that?” Irri asks, because she knows Daenerys will know. Dany’s adoptive parents taught her a lot about cars, and she’s always been a fan of older models. 

“‘65 Corvair. It’s cherry as fuck. Probably some old dude from out of town driving it, look at the plates, it’s not from around here,” Dany said. Her eyes analyzed the car, before she shut off her own wagon and stepped out. “Come on ladies, if you let me sit here for too long staring at that car, I’ll take it for myself.”

For Irri’s size, it was surprising how many hampers she could carry. She carried all four of her’s, which were huge and full to the top with her eclectic styled clothing. Even today, Irri was dressed in an oversized but thin grey sweater and lace white shorts. Jhiqui had a style all her own, too; she wore leather pants (which were more like leggings) and a shirt that looked like it was from the ‘90s, with a herd of galloping horses on it, but Jhiqui made it her own by cutting it into a crop top. Dany, on the other hand, wore a red floral maxi dress that flowed easily, but still fit her tiny waist tightly. Irri had the most clothing out of everyone, though Jhiqui was not far behind with her three and half full hampers being dragged into the doors of the laundromat. Dany was the last to get her’s, three laundry bags of dirty clothes. 

“There’s our pretty ladies.” Wendy was the first to greet them. She opened her arms for a hug, and Dany took one happily after setting down her bags. Wendy smelled like fresh fruit and gardens, a smell which was rare in the city. Valerie and Cal waved at them, and Bernie was talking to someone around the corner. 

Dany’s ears perked at the new voice. Who was the person who owned that car outside? Curious, Dany made sure to pick a washer that was close to where the voice was coming from. _A woman’s voice_ , she noted. She was absently shoving her clothes into the washer, listening to the woman and Bernie’s conversation.

“That your car out there?” Bernie asked in his rough accent.

“The Corvair? Yeah.” The woman’s voice was as sweet as honey, Dany thought.

“Mind if I go peek at it?” Bernie sounded kinder than usual.

“Go for it,” the woman said smoothly, and Dany could hear the smile in her voice.

Dany was still loading laundry, so slowly since she was listening to the conversation, she had practically forgotten to fill the washer. And the woman took notice to the silver-haired woman, who was looking into the washer as if it were something out of a different world. Dany had been coming here every Sunday for a year, she knew this place better than anyone, but her mind was both rushing and blank when she heard that woman's silken voice, so focusing on the washer's metal was the only thing she could do, without looking totally like an idiot.

“If you don’t fill that washer all the way, it won’t spin out. It’s meant for sixty pounds of dry clothes, ya’know.” The woman sounded so close, and when Dany looked up, she finally saw the face behind the voice. She had hair down past her bust, a brunette with deep blue eyes and a smile on her lips. Dany was kneeling next to the washer she loaded, with the mysterious beauty next to her, standing over her.

“Oh, right, yeah, I-I know.” Dany was never flustered, but she felt the heat rise in her cheeks in that moment. “I have two other bags to put in here-” Her words were cut off by a small laugh. 

“-But, uh, you must be new to these parts, yeah? I’m Daenerys. Dany. Dany works.” 

“Doreah.”

"Doreah." The name was simple, elegant even. It left a strange taste in her mouth, but not a bad one. She tasted every syllable of the name, feeling it roll off her tongue and fill the space between her teeth. With pale eyes, Dany looked back from her clothes and then up at Doreah again, who had a grin full of charm spread out across her face. She was beautiful, wasn't she? Like a Hollywood star, but one that didn't let fame affect her. There was nothing fake about her appearance, no- Doreah seemed like she could have woken up and been that beautiful, with those messy waves of hair and untouched face. _Doreah._


	2. forget about the world tonight

Dany felt shy, that day in the laundromat. She watched her clothes from her seat across from the washers, next to Irri and Jhiqui, who both were playing a Scrabble type game on their phones, trying to best the other one. They kept screeching random words at each other, always with a victorious laugh afterwards- at least until the other one made their move and gained more points. 

On the other side of the room, there was Doreah, folding her clothes into neat little piles with her back to them. Dany’s pale eyes were on Doreah as her hands folded and tucked each t-shirt, each skirt, each dress. The brunette was meticulous about her folding, she noticed, and none of the noise in the laundromat seemed to bother her. Doreah was in her own world, alone with the clothes on her table, nothing there to disturb her. Sometimes, she would turn to the side and Dany would catch a glimpse of her face, as she was alone in her own little universe, and her expression didn’t seem peaceful. No, it looked like she was lost in horrifying thoughts, and that she tried not to show it. Dany knew what such an expression looked like, she had seen in the mirror too many times.

Before she could even realize it, Dany was on her feet. Irri looked up from her game to see where she was going, but soon Jhiqui entered the word “koala” into their game of Scrabble and she was distracted once again. Daenerys took a deep breath, and pushed it out with force. Her mind wasn’t thinking when she walked over to Doreah, or if it was, she did not know it. When she saw that pained look on Doreah’s face, that look of loss and loneliness, Dany felt like she had to do something. It was only right. “Hey,” Dany said, smiling awkwardly. _Make conversation, this is weird._ “So, that Corvair of yours…”

Much to Dany’s relief, Doreah’s pain seemed to fade from her features when the blonde came up to her, and her mouth formed into a smile. “-Yeah, that car of mine. If you want to check it out, you can! In fact…” Doreah folded her last piece of laundry. “I have to take my stuff out there, if you want the full tour?” 

“Oh, yeah, of course!” Dany spoke in a rush; her heart was beating so hard and there were knots entangling her stomach. “Want me to help you carry your bags?”

Doreah nodded to that, and picked up one bag and Dany grabbed the other. There was silence as they made their way out to the car (except for Irri yelling about Scrabble as they walked out the door), but it wasn’t a strange silence. The silence was comfortable. 

Doreah dropped her bag at the front of the car, and Dany wondered for a second as to why she was doing that. The confusion must have shown on her face.

“‘65 Corvair’s have the engine in the back, and the trunk in the front,” Doreah explained, getting a little giggle out of Dany’s confusion. Dany would have felt stupid, but the laugh from the other girl was making her heart beat too fast to care. 

“Right, right, I knew that!” Dany had to laugh herself. 

The bags were in the trunk (which was in the front, Dany now knew), and Doreah invited her to check out the interior of the car, letting her sit in the driver’s seat. Doreah scooted into the passenger’s side.

“Wow,” Dany mused, running her fingertips lightly along the dashboard. It looked brand new, even if it was over twice her age. “You’ve kept this thing in great shape. When did you get it?”

“When I was eighteen, so… five years ago? Something like that. It was a piece of shit when I bought it, really.” Doreah was inspecting her car, making sure nothing was out of place. In reality, it was perfect.

“Really? Did ‘ya restore it yourself?” Dany asked. Her hands went to the wheel, grabbing in lightly as if she were driving, and she looked out the windshield to the road ahead. When she heard Doreah’s voice, she turned back to her. 

“Yeah, it’s been my project for a while…” That pained look came back on her face for a flash of a second, and she turned away. Dany’s smile faded a bit, but then she realized she was grabbing the keys out of her purse.

“Here, start it up!” Doreah’s smile was back, and she handed the keys over. 

And so, Dany put the keys in the ignition, revved the engine a few times and both of their smiles grew. Dany even let out an impressed laugh, like the sound of the engine was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. It revved loudly, as Dany stepped on the gas, loudly and beautifully. Even when it idled, it sounded like a purring tiger who slept softly, but could wake and roar at any moment. Dany wondered if that was also true for Doreah, if she was a dangerous beauty too. 

“Damn girl, this thing sounds amazing.” 

“Oh, you think I’d restore it without making it run perfectly? That’s the most important part.” Doreah laughed then, too. “You wanna drive it?” 

Dany didn’t realize it, but her heart had turned from nervous to warm and fluttery. There was adrenaline running through her veins, and the grin on her face had never been bigger. Something about this girl just made her feel strangely wonderful. She couldn't put her finger on what it was that gave her such a sensation, but there was something there indeed. “Hold on, lemme tell my friends to get my laundry out when it’s done.” 

With that, Dany practically ran into the laundromat, breathless. She made her way over to her purse, took her own car keys out, and handed them to Irri. “Irri, you drive my car home. Both of you, get my laundry out when it’s done, but you don’t have to bring it inside when you get home. I’ll get it from the car later-” Dany was running out of air as she spoke, but her smile was still plastered across her face. Irri and Jhiqui hadn’t seen her smile like that in ages, so they didn’t question her demands. Irri just took the keys, and smiled herself. 

“Dany, stop talking. Go have fun.”


	3. a light in the dark

“You sure you wanna let me drive your car?” Dany asked as she slid into the driver’s seat, a smirk playing upon her lips. Dany wasn’t a reckless driver, not in the least, but she did like to have fun with cars like these. If it had power, she would be sure to give in to it.

“As long as you don’t hurt it, why the hell not?” Doreah spoke smoothly, her voice like honey once again. Dany just looked at her for a moment, watching as she ran her lightly tanned fingers through her silken brown locks. She pressed her lips together and looked away, focusing on the road and looking for other cars as she pulled out of park and into drive. As soon as her foot touched the gas, the engine purred even louder, and Dany’s smile grew. It reminded her of her days in high school, when she would ride around in her then-boyfriend’s car, when she bought her first classic car. It was nothing compared to Doreah’s Corvair, though. The way it slid down the highway, turned with ease, sped up as if it was nothing. Before she knew it, they were on the old highway, the highway that no one went on, going well over 100 miles per hour and laughing the whole time. The road curved and bended, but the car took it with ease, and Dany only went faster around the corners.\

“Shit, Dany, you really can drive, can’t ‘ya?” Doreah was giggling beyond belief, trying to cover her smile with her hands.

“I have some… experience,” Dany spoke with a laugh, giving Doreah a quick grin as they raced down the highway. She pushed on the gas a little more, giving it as much as she could and they kept getting faster and faster. That is, until familiar blue and red lights started flashing behind them, and a siren to go along with it.

“Fuck!” Dany immediately started slowing down at the sight of the police. As soon as they had slowed down, she pulled to the side of the road, cursing under her breathe. “Doreah, I am so sorry, I didn’t think a cop would be out here. Oh my God, I-” Her words were cut off by Doreah’s.

“Shh, it’s fine. Cops are easy to please. Just go along with what I say, okay?”

Dany nodded, gulped and waited for the officer to come around to the window. Doreah must have noticed how worried she looked, because she reached over to where her arm was and squeezed it, whispering something sweet just as the man came to the window. He immediately asked for her license and registration.

Doreah handed her the registration, and Dany handed over her license. The officer went back to his car to run it all, and the blonde let out a long sigh. She was practically shaking, her hands still on the wheel. She closed her eyes for a moment, a few memories flashing in her mind, and she tried to shake it all away.

“Ma’am, do you understand how fast you were going?” The officer asked when he came back to the window.

“Yes, sir,” Dany said softly, looking up at his hard face then down at her lap. “I’m very sorry-”

“Whose car is this?” He asked, looking down at Dany with such a tough expression, his mouth a hard line.

“It’s mine, officer,” Doreah piped up. “This is my sister-in-law. I came to town to visit my brother for their wedding, and both of our families are in town for it, but my- or, our- aunt is in the hospital. We were trying to get there before her surgery.” Doreah looked like she was going to cry. At least it gave way for why Dany felt nervous.

“What is she in the hospital for?” The officer asked, as if to clarify that they were really telling the truth.

“She has cauda equina syndrome, it’s a rare spine condition...” Dany sounded choked up, and even let a single tear fall. Thankfully, she was probably going to cry anyway, just because she was so nervous around police, but this gave her an excuse.

“Please, we’ll drive there at the speed limit, we just need to see her,” Doreah mused, looking up as if she were holding back tears. Dany wiped away her single tear, and put her head in her hands.

“-Oh, okay, okay. The hospital is only a mile or two from here, and there’s gonna be no traffic if you take Lakeview Avenue, okay?” The officer seemed to fret over the two upset girls. “You two get on your way, but keep it around the speed limit…”

They both nodded and he handed back their information. Once he was gone and the window was rolled up, Dany let out a small laugh. “Oh my god, I thought I was gonna die. That was ridiculous!” She wiped the tears from her eyes, still feeling a bit shaky from the encounter.

“I know, and cauda what? Did you make that up?” Doreah was laughing as Dany pulled out from where they had parked and drove (the speed limit) down the road and towards Lakeview Avenue, just in case the cop was following them.

“No, its a real thing. My uh- someone I knew had it…” Dany’s voice grew soft then, and she bit down on her lower lip. Doreah noticed how upset she looked when she said that, how even the thought alone of this person made her shrink a bit. The brunette looked at her curiously, and then reached out and squeezed her arm again. The comfort that came from that made Dany’s darkness fade.

“You did great. Hey, I live up here, if you wanna stop by and have a drink with me?” Doreah looked encouraging, with that little smile on her lips and her hand still lingering on Daenerys’ arm.

“I’d like that.”


End file.
